Luncheon plate



I Jan. 16, 1934. w SCHURMANN 1,943,698

LUNCHEON PLATE Filed June 20, 1935 plate, whereby pression 8 taken on Patented Jan. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE LUNCHEON PLATE William A. Schurmann,

Chicago, Ill., assignor to Manes Consolidated Manufacturing Company,

a corporation of Delaware Application June 20, 1933. Serial No. 676,686

3 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in luncheon plates, it more particularly relating to improvements in moulded pulp plates having a comparatively large compartment for certain foods and smaller compartments for other foods, whereby the foods are kept separately.

An object of the invention is to so disposethe compartments as to increase the capacity of the large compartment utilize the small compartments for the purpose of strengthening the plate as well as accommodating food.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved plate.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in vertcal section and partly in elevation, the part in section being taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the improved .plate is substantially square in outline and consists of a sheet of moulded pulp provided with a flat marginal portion 1 having rounded corners 2 and parallel straight edges 3. The flat portion is reenforced at its peripheral edges 2 and 3 by providing that these edges aredowntumed as indicated at 4. I

A main compartment is provided for foods such as those which constitute the main portion of a meal, this compartment being in the present case a centrally located, circular, depressed portion 5 having sloping side walls 6 and a flat bottom '7. For foods of other forms ordinarily served in side dishes a plurality of smaller depressions 8 are formed in the-flat portion, being depressed'therefrom in the same direction as the larger central depression 5.

In detail, the smaller depressions are crescentshaped since the depressions are located in the spaces in what would be the corners oi a'square the spaces are usefully employed for the purpose mentioned. Referring to any one of these smaller depressions for purposes of description, it will be seen that the depression occupies the space exteriorly of the central food compartment 5 and interiorly of the rounded edge 2. The depressions 8 act also as a reenforcement to the plate as a whole as flat portion, and to that end sharp corners are avoided. The cross-section of a wall of the dethe lines 2-2 which is radito the plate is semially disposed with reference joined to the flat circular, as shown at 9, Fig. 3,

for a given size plate and to well as to the.

portion by the small curved wall portions 10. The cross section taken along the long dimenson of the depression 8, or along the line 4-4 which is concentrically-disposed with reference to the center of the plate is also semi-circular but on a much larger radius, as shown at 11, Fig. 4, and this portion is also joined to the flat portion by curved portions as seen at'l2 and 13 in the same figure.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a luncheon plate, a sheet of moulded pulp having a comparatively large round central depression, a flat marginal portion having parallel edges save for rounded corners and a series of smaller depressions in the flat portion, said smaller depressions being located each between the central depression and a rounded corner.

2. In a luncheon plate, a sheet of mouldedpulp having a comparatively large round central depression, a flat marginal portion having parallel edges save for rounded corners and a series of smaller depressions in the flat portion, said smaller depressions being located each between the central depression and a rounded corner and being of crescent shape. I

3. In a luncheon plate, a square sheet of moulded pulp having rounded corners, said sheet having a comparatively large round central depression surrounded by a flat marginal portion, said flat marginal portion having a plurality of depressions as deep as the central depressions each located at one of the corners of the sheet, the major portion of the outer side of each marginal recess being formed on a curve concentric with the curve of the corner of the sheet and the on inner side of each marginal recess being formed on a curve concentric with the curvature of the central depression.

' WILLIAM A. SCHURMANN. 

